McKenzie, Cooper - Autumn Healing [Welcome to Sanctuary 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)
Page 2
She’d taken that sentiment to heart. After trying to find comfort in the arms of a different man every night, she’d finally realized there was no comfort to be found. After that, she became the ultimate Army medic, caring for her patients with skill and competency while ignoring any sexual innuendoes that were tossed her way. It took only a few months before the men who had dealt with her on a daily basis changed her nickname from Runaround to Stone Cold Ryan.
Looking from one brother to the other, her breathing stopped. Two gorgeous men watched her with an intense attraction mixed with concern. She had seen pictures of these men with their brothers. The latest photos had been when they stood in their wedding finery with their parents and the three happy couples.
Though the brothers had similar features, each set of twins had different shades of brown hair. Evan and Frank’s were a sandy brown, which they wore long enough to pull back into bands at the base of their skulls.
Their bone structures and features were strong, masculine, and identical. The only difference she could see between the two men was that Evan’s eyes were bright green while Frank’s were sky blue. They stood several inches over six feet and were as wide as doors with muscles rippling under skintight, sweat-soaked T-shirts.
“What are you feeling, ladybug?” Frank asked as he eased another step closer. His gently spoken question brought her mind back to the sexual hunger zinging through her body like flies on steroids.
Could she put into words what she was feeling? Sure, she’d read erotic romances, but she’d never been one to verbalize her feelings or make demands. Looking into Frank’s sparkling eyes, she took a deep breath.
Since she didn’t know how to lie, she answered honestly. “My nipples ache they’re so tight. My pussy is creaming so hard my panties are wet. Though I’ve never been a hugger before, I want to snuggle with you, and it doesn’t matter which one. I feel like my body is going crazy.”
She didn’t move when the men growled deep in their chests before closing the small distance between them so they formed a triangle. Each man wrapped an arm around her back when her knees wobbled and she swayed.
At their touch, the crazy, itchy feeling lessened, and she sighed with relief. She looked from one to the other. “What’s wrong with me?”
The men grinned and moved even closer. Evan shifted around behind her as Frank moved to stand chest-to-breast with her, making a human sandwich with her as the filling. She closed her eyes and relaxed as their heat engulfed her. Then she gasped as long, thick erections pressed into both her belly and lower back.
All at once, the tiny, nagging voice that demanded she volunteer for every dangerous assignment and stay too busy to think, as she kept looking for an ever-elusive something that would bring her happiness and contentment, stilled. For the first time in her life, Autumn felt like she belonged.
“Nothing’s wrong with you, sweetness. It’s the pull of the mating bond,” Evan said. He slid an arm between her chest and his brother’s and cupped a hand under one full breast, causing her breath to stop again. “It’s stronger than an attraction you would feel for another human because the Fates have determined we are to spend our lives together.”
“Really?” she asked, not sure she believed him. “I’ve never felt like this with anyone before.”
The two men froze. “How many men have you been with?” Frank asked, his voice growly with suspicion.
Autumn’s belly clenched at his dark and disapproving tone. Instead of looking at him, she dropped her gaze and stared straight ahead as she forced out the word, “A few,” she answered cryptically, not wanting to admit the truth, “but none of them were serious.”
She was twenty-five years old, far beyond being an innocent virgin. Blinking hard, she tried to keep sudden, unexplainable tears hidden. A good soldier did not cry, no matter what.
She stiffened but did not fight when a finger slid under her chin and lifted her head until she looked up into Frank’s face.
“How many is a few, ladybug?” Frank asked, his tone now soft and gentle.
“It doesn’t matter,” she answered, suddenly feeling defensive. She then sniffed as a single tear escaped her left eye to roll down her cheek. When Frank caught the tear on the pad of his index finger and licked it, her pussy gushed again.
She tried to read his expression, but before she could make sense of it, he lifted his head to look over her head. All she could see was his strong, tanned jaw and neck. She was still looking up when the two men pulled their arms from around her and took a step back.
Immediately, the lonely feeling of inadequacy that had haunted her all her life returned. No matter how well she did in school, how many awards or accomplishments she’d received in the Army, there always seemed to be someone who was better. A little smarter, a little faster, a little stronger. She’d always felt out of step, always racing to catch up, always trying to make the grade. Even here, with these two, she suddenly felt like she had failed.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a soft, tight voice just before she turned and headed toward the open doorway at a fast march. “I’ll go say hello to my family before I leave.”
As she walked away, a squeezing ache blossomed in her chest.
“What the fuck?” one of the brothers cursed.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” the other growled.
In the next second, two large, hard hands clamped onto her shoulders. She stopped walking but did not look back.
“I’m going up there,” she waved toward the semicircle of houses, “to find my brother and sisters and say hello before I get back on the road.”
“No way,” was flatly stated in a stereo masculine growl.
“You’re staying here where you belong,” the man on her left said. Tilting her head to the side and up, she saw it was Evan of the bright blue eyes. “You are our mate.”
“What does that mean?” Autumn asked.
“Being our mate means that for the rest of your life we will fulfill your every wish, want, and desire. We will keep you safe, happy, and satisfied in every way you can think of,” Frank answered. “We will never leave you, never cheat on you, and will love you until our dying breaths.”
“Huh?”
“Come back inside,” Evan requested, his voice so deep and sexy a hot thrum of awareness shot through her.
He turned her around and then each man took possession of a hand. As soon as their skin slid over hers and they led her back inside, the strange pain in her chest eased.
Once inside, Frank let go of her hand long enough to slide the oversized door closed with a loud rattling clatter. Though they now stood in near darkness, Autumn felt no fear, only anticipation.
“Do you think that will keep anyone out?” Autumn glanced at the tall metal doors.
Evan shrugged as he shifted to face her. “Probably not, but it will slow them down. And if someone does come inside, we’ll have plenty of warning.”
“Warning?” Autumn asked as Evan wrapped his arms around her lower back and lifted her off the ground. She grabbed his shoulders as warm, hard lips covered hers.
“Mm-hmm.”
He brushed his lips back and forth across hers in a sensual introduction, causing her toes to curl inside her sneakers. She sighed as he nipped at her lips, first the top one and then the bottom one. Then he traced the seam between them with the tip of his tongue. She’d been kissed before, but this man took kissing to a whole new level of expertise.
With a sigh, she parted her lips to allow his exploring tongue entrance. In the next second, she gave herself over to the need to mate her tongue with his. Soon they were dancing back and forth between their open mouths. When his hips canted forward and he pressed his cock against her belly, she shifted against the solid rod, amazed at the white-hot blaze he ignited in her with such a simple, yet bold touch.
She was ready to tear off Evan’s clothes to get to bare skin when a low growl broke the silence behind her. She whined when Evan tore h
er lips from hers to look over her shoulder.
“What?” Evan growled, clearly not happy with the interruption.
She felt heat grow behind her just before Frank slid his arms between her and Evan. He pulled at her middle, trying to get his brother to release her.
“It’s my turn.” His words sounded deep and growly while at the same time whiney, like a petulant child demanding his turn on the swing.
Chapter Four
Evan made a grumbling sound deep in his throat, startling her. “I’m not finished,” he said as he tried to take a step back still holding her tight.
“Guys, I am not a doggie toy to be fought over,” she said, trying not to giggle at the mental image her words invoked.
The men froze and looked at her. “You’re not?” Frank asked with a sexy grin that sent shivers of awareness and hunger from tits to clit.
“No, she’s a cuddly baby-doll,” Evan said with a chuckle.
He shifted her higher against his body and dropped his hands to just below her ass cheeks. He parted her legs around him, and Autumn found herself wrapping them around his back. She sucked a breath when he nuzzled his cheek against hers before licking at her earlobe.
“Go away, Frank, you’re bothering us,” he said softly when Frank growled again.
“She’s my mate, too,” Frank said, moving even closer. He rubbed his face through her hair before dropping down and caressing the back of her neck with his lips and chin.
“Oooo,” Autumn breathed as she tightened her grip on Evan.
She had never before thought of the back of her neck as an erogenous zone. But as Frank gently brushed nibbling kisses from the edge of her shirt up to her hairline, her juices flowed freely as she squirmed in Evan’s arms.
“Ah,” she moaned when he shifted his attentions to the side of her neck.
At the same time, Evan kissed his way across her cheek to the opposite side. They gently nibbled on her earlobes for a few seconds before working their way to where neck met shoulders.
When they licked that spot at the same time, she trembled and began to pant. They then took the skin between their teeth causing her pussy, clit, and everything to clench even tighter. Two heartbeats later, an orgasm unlike anything she’d ever felt before rolled through her.
Instead of releasing her, the brothers began to suck at the skin, prolonging her release until she felt like she’d just run a marathon straight up the side of a mountain.
“I can’t breathe,” she whimpered.
The men lifted their heads and Frank eased back just enough for Evan to set her down. When her knees gave way, they reached out and caught her between them once again.
“Are you okay?” Frank asked. He turned her around and pulled her to lean against his powerful chest with his hands wrapped around her hips.
“Mmmm,” was all she could get her mouth to say.
Evan moved away, but Autumn did not have enough brain cells firing to worry about where he’d gone.
Opening her eyes, she looked up at Frank and smiled. “Wow.”
“Wow, indeed,” Frank said as he leaned down and kissed her lips.
Unlike Evan’s kiss of instant arousal, Frank’s gentled and soothed. He eased her back to earth from the stars while at the same time keeping her arousal from completely dying away. When he finally lifted his head, Autumn found herself clinging to him like a koala to a tree branch.
She wanted, no, needed, more than a few hugs and kisses or a couple of hours of hot sex in a rented room. From these two men, she wanted all they could give her. Unfortunately, all she had to offer in return was herself, a broken shell of a woman. Shoving that thought away, she decided it was time to ask for what she wanted.
“Mmmm,” she breathed as she laid her cheek on his chest, trying to snuggle even closer. “I want more.”
At her soft admission, Frank’s chest moved under her cheek and she felt more than heard him take a quick breath. He tightened his arms around her before slowly, slowly easing his hands across her back until his hands rested on her hips. His fingers spread out to cover her ass cheeks.
She steeled herself, preparing for him to bolt with Evan hot on his heels at her bold demand. Instead, he took a half step back and looked down at her. His expression was both wary and hopeful. In the next second, Evan leaned over his brother’s shoulder, wearing the same expression.
“Are you sure you want us to claim you?” Evan asked.
“Because if we do, that’s it. You are ours forever. There will be no other men. We don’t share,” Frank continued.
“What about other women? Will I have to share you?”
The brothers shook their heads, looking serious as death. “Whether or not we claim you, there will never be another woman for either of us. We’ve found our mate.”
At their words, Autumn felt the big, cold, empty space in her chest where love was supposed to reside shrink. The men eased forward, so the three of them once again formed a triangle.
“Do you think we could fool around without you claiming me?”
Both men’s eyes widened as they moaned softly and shifted their hips. When she glanced down, she saw why they looked so uncomfortable. They were aroused. What had to be huge male erections pushed hard against the plackets of each man’s jeans.
Without embarrassment, Evan reached down and adjusted his cock into a more comfortable position. “Sweetheart, we’ll do this however you want, but don’t make us wait too long to claim you or you’ll have two very grumpy wolfhounds following your every move.”
Autumn nodded. “So, how do we do this?”
How was she supposed to satisfy and please two men? How could any woman? Would they get jealous if she spent time with one without the other?
Before she could panic and make a run for it, Evan leaned down and licked at her lips. “First, you have to stop thinking so hard.”
“Noticed that, did you?”
“It was kind of hard to miss,” Frank said. “What’s wrong?”
“Do I really have to tell you?” she asked, dropping her head forward as her cheeks began to burn with shyness.
“If you want us to fix it, you have to tell us what’s wrong,” Evan responded.
Autumn mulled over his words for a few seconds before nodding. “That makes sense. Okay, but please don’t think I’m stupid or anything. How am I supposed to make the two of you happy? Will you get jealous if I spend more time with one brother than the other? Say I have a fight with Frank, will you always take his side? Will I always be the odd person out?”
When the men just looked at her with wide, surprised eyes, Autumn turned and walked away. She couldn’t do this. She was an emotional wreck by herself. How was she supposed to heal herself while the need to be with these two pulled at her?
She’d barely taken three steps when hands once again clamped down on her shoulders, holding her still. In the next second, hot, hard male bodies pressed against her sides and long, thick, denim-covered erections brushed against the back of her arms.
When hard hands sharply smacked her ass, she squeaked in protest.
“First of all, you don’t worry about pleasing us. Just standing there breathing makes us happier than you’ll ever know,” the brother to her right leaned in close and said softly.
“Second, you do not walk away when we are talking about something important and never ever hide your emotions. If you’re mad or upset about something, say so,” the one to the left continued. “We can take anything except you walking away from us. If you haven’t noticed, we’re a little bigger than you are.”
That earned them a watery snort as she thought about how easily it would be to put them on their asses without breaking a sweat.
“If you’re sad, tell us. We’ll hold you while you cry, and then we’ll go out and do anything we can to put a smile back on your face.” the one on the right said.
“Sure, there will be days when one or the other of us will want you all to ourselves. That’s okay,”
the left one continued.
“As long as you love us both and we all communicate, things should be fine. When decisions need to be made, we sit down and make them together. If you ask me something and I say no, don’t go to Evan and try to talk him into allowing it. A no from one of us is no from both of us,” Frank, to her right, finished.
“And if I do?” She lifted her face and looked into Frank’s bright blue eyes.
“Be prepared to be turned over my knee and spanked.”
Autumn’s eyes went wide, and her nipples clenched at the thought. “Really?”
Frank blinked. A smile that brought to mind all her dark sexual fantasies crossed his face. He reached up and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and began to rub his thumb back and forth. “Like that idea, do you, ladybug? Do you like to get spanked?”
Autumn swallowed hard. “I don’t know,” she said. “While I’ve had sex before, it was usually of the ‘wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am’ variety, not so much kinky sex. Though I have read—”
“Read what?” Evan asked.
He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. After kissing the palm, he licked his way up each digit before pulling her pinkie into his mouth and sucking it deep inside.
Autumn gasped as shivers flashed through her body. Her pussy clenched, and her knees weakened. Before she could collapse, the men moved even closer. Evan pushed his erection into the side of her left ass cheek then rubbed it back and forth. As if they’d choreographed the move, Frank did the same on her right.
She moaned as feelings of need, want, and a strange aching filled her to overflowing.
“Answer Evan’s question, Autumn,” Frank urged in a deep, dark voice that reminded Autumn of blackstrap molasses. Dark and rich and oh–so-sweet. The fingers of one hand continued to work out the knots at the base of her neck as his other hand reached for her waistband and began to undo her belt.